The general elections in Sierra Leone on 17 November will be "a critical benchmark" for assessing gains in the consolidation of peace and democracy in the country. That's what the Foreign Minister of the West African country, Joseph Dauda, told the General Assembly during the general debate on Monday. Mr. Dauda said preparations are [...]
The government of Botswana has urged the African Union to remain firm and resolute in its rejection of unconstitutional change of governments on the African continent. The call was made by the Foreign Minister of Botswana Phandu Skelemani as the General Assembly continued its general debate on Monday. Mr. Skelemani said that the military coups [...]
The time has come to get rid of all weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters on Monday. He said three quarters of the world's declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been eliminated. And, the Convention banning these weapons has been signed by 188 States Parties. However, he added, eight [...]
After decades of excessive logging and reduced water flow, Mount Kenya is becoming green again. Thanks to a government pilot project financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), primary school children have planted more than 4,000 trees. Their efforts are part of a larger greening programme that has rehabilitated 2,600 hectares [...]
The ongoing killings in Syria are causing what has been described as "deep frustration" for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, according to his spokesperson. Mr. Ban met with Walid Al-Moualem, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Syrian Arab Republic on Monday. UN Spokesperson Martin Nesirky says the Secretary-General and the Syrian Foreign Minister discussed the growing [...]
The Foreign Minister of Syria has told the General Assembly that his country is facing what he called "organized terrorism". Walid Al-Moualem spoke as the General Assembly continued its general debate on Monday. He said the most recent example of terrorist bombing took place in the capital, Damascus on 26 of September. The Syrian [...]
1. World leaders speak on global issues. 2. Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the UN. 3. India's Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appointed UNAIDS Ambassador Narrated and Produced by Ambalika Misra Duration: 14’45″
Developing countries are facing daunting challenges of eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development. That's what the Minister of External Affairs of India S. M. Krishna told the General Assembly during its general debate on Monday. He said that the West Asia and North Africa regions are seeing unprecedented socio-political upheaval. "Developing countries are still to [...]
The world population is ageing rapidly in low and middle income countries, according to a senior official of the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr John Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and the Life-course at WHO says that the ageing of populations is related to economic development. He points out that in the [...]
Despite their size, small states can contribute meaningfully to global peace and security, according to UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. Mr. Ban spoke at a Conference on Small States organized by the Forum of Small States at UN Headquarters on Monday. He said that over the past twenty years the Forum has made many meaningful contributions [...]
Providing credit to make housing available does not work, according to the United Nations independent expert on adequate Housing. Raquel Rolnik says that in both developed and developing countries housing is being made a commodity available to everyone through credit. Ms. Rolnik says that in countries such as the United States and Spain there is [...]
Over 700,000 refugees have fled from Syria, Sudan, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of the year, according to the UN Refugee agency (UNHCR). The agency says the combination of simultaneous major new conflicts and unresolved old ones had presented an unmatched refugee crisis in its recent history. UN High Commissioner [...]
International labour standards must be preserved and promoted if the world is to recover from the economic and employment crisis, says the International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Guy Ryder. He says the rush to create jobs was not an excuse to abandon workers rights and international labour standards. Mr Ryder who has taken over the [...]
Peace and justice will be on top of Guatemala's agenda as it chairs the UN Security Council in October. It is a first for the Central American country, a founding member of the organization. Guatemala is also one of the five newly elected non-permanent members of the Council for the 2012 to 2013 term. Ambassador [...]
Guatemala will for the first time in the history of the United Nations assume the rotating presidency of the Security Council. The Central American country is one of the five newly elected non-permanent members of the Council. Apart from the Council's regular deliberations, Guatemala would like to introduce a debate on peace and justice. Earlier, [...]
Liberia's Minister for Gender and Development, Julia Duncan-Cassell, was in New York for the opening of the 67th session of the General Assembly. Ms. Duncan-Casell said Liberian women have been adversely affected by climate change because they spend so much of their time in the open. But the Ministry for Gender and Development is working [...]
In light of the alarming rise in foreclosures and homelessness around the world, Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, has spent the last four years investigating trends. She has found that a one-size-fits-all solution of using credit for housing ownership has emerged. On the occasion of World Habitat Day, October 1st, the [...]
